Letter: Manufacturing Policies Must be Spelled Out

Just recently I heard a political ad blare across the television about the number of manufacturing jobs that have been lost to China. At first I was happy to hear the mention of manufacturing, but then the numbers of jobs that are being lost was very depressing.

As a Wisconsin field coordinator for The Alliance for American Manufacturing, I know these numbers all too well. The U.S. has lost more than 54,000 factories over the last decade. I’ve witnessed mills closing from Janesville to Kimberly to Whiting. The ad I heard was solely pointing fingers for our problems, but did not outline a plan to save our manufacturing industry. I’ve seen across our nation the fight we’ve had with China by filing trade cases, industry after industry, to protect our jobs.

The next biggest fight America has is in the auto parts industry. These are the component parts that go into the cars that you and I drive. While the Big Three have stabilized and are increasing sales daily, there is still concern for the component parts. Most people would be surprised to learn that there are three times as many jobs in the auto parts industry than are in the assembly. These jobs are being threatened, in all the battleground states, by China.

In March, China adopted another five-year plan to target the American auto parts industry. Since 2000, our trade deficit in auto parts with China has increased by 867 percent and is still growing. Our Presidential candidates need to show Wisconsinites their proposed manufacturing policy that our country is so desperate for. The manufacturing communities from Manitowoc to Marinette and down to Milwaukee are all depending on this for their future. Give us the information we need to go to the polls with in November